Should the Pack go after Jim Leonhard?

Many of us Badger fans aren’t overly surprised that Jim Leonhard is establishing a quality NFL career now. We knew he was gifted athletically despite what some people have said – that he’s just a smart player but not that athletic. The truth is he is very athletic and very smart. (At 5’8″, Jim Leonhard would frequently win the Badger football team’s slam dunk contest…) The Baltimore Ravens’ playoff run has highlighted his talents, so the secret is out.

My question for Packer nation is this: is Jim Leonhard worth pursuing to start opposite Nick Collins? Both Collins and Leonhard are listed as strong safeties, but I think with a new 3-4 defense coming in, Leonhard would be able to move to free safety. Baltimore coaches, according to Nantz, praised Leonhard’s ability to pick up their complex 3-4 defense immediately, so I’m not worried about his ability to adapt to a new system. Anyway, I believe Leonhard is a free agent this off-season, though I’ll bet the Ravens make a strong move to re-sign him because Dawan Landry, the safety whose injury opened the door for Leohnard, is an UFA.

Brian Dawkins, Mike Brown (for 8-10 games before he gets hurt anyway), or Oshiomogho Atogwe could also be nice additions. I haven’t given up on Bigby, but all of these guys would be upgrades.

But now, I need to get back to my excitement for the 3-4 and all of the line-up possibilities I have been thinking about…

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3 Responses to “Should the Pack go after Jim Leonhard?”

As much as I love Wisco boys with skills (Owen Daniels, Joe Thomas, Jim Leonhard);

Dawkins= way too old, Mike Brown=eh, Bigby’s just as good when healthy, Atogwe=young and tough, again same as Bigby. I wish I could find a Bigby highlight reel from last years playoffs on youtube, he was everywhere and punished people twice his size. Unless we can get Rodney Harrison (injured and old), Troy Palomalu (never), Ed Reed (yeah right) or John Lynch (retired) I’d stay pat.

I’ll never forgive TT if we don’t retain Jennings AND get a stud D-lineman FA. Again, Andy and Steve, I think the Packers are too close to tops in the league to go tinkering so much. Changing to a 3-4 is going to be enough of a project. Let’s start to lobby Lombardi Ave for a NT, a fierce ILB, and Peppers, if they get Leonhard too, sweet! We’ll be the deepest 2ndary in the NFL.

As much as I’d love to see Leonhardt in a Packer uniform they must stay focused on their biggest problem. They must add 4 quality players for the front seven. This off-season will be the most important the Packers have had since Wolf brought in a new defense. Stay Focused!